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Freestyle hunting has bee replaced over the years by fancy blinds, versatile climbers and sky high treestands.

Freestyle hunting is the art of ground hunting and using your natural surrounding to attain trophy success. This old school approach to hunting is becoming more popular again, especially with crossbow hunters. With the introduction of shorter more compact crossbows in the market, this freestyle hunting is now approachable. The best part is all you need is your crossbow, skill, stealth and a little camo to get started.

Here are 5 key tips to get you started.

Seek Cover: Freestyle hunting will require you to ambush a deer from the ground To do this you are going to need cover in front and behind you to breakup your silhouette. Don’t forget to setup with a couple shooting lanes in front or spend time clearing them out.

Blend In: By using 3D leaf camo or gillie suits you will give yourself a extra advantage when hunting at eye level.

Sit Tight: Bring a portable stool or seat. It’s more comfortable than sitting on the ground and makes it easier for you to pivot and shoot your crossbow.

Take a Knee: If you’re stalking try taking the shot from your knees. While crossbow are becoming liter some can still be front heavy and difficult to free hand. This will obviously stabilize your shot and make it harder for an animal to recognize your pattern.

Out of Sight: When setting up an ambush, mark the spots where you think the deer vision will be obstructed enough for you to make a movement. Because your at eye level with the animal it is important to keep it’s point of view in mind before you make any significant movements.